2020 MEdia Outreach & Publicity Guide

Photo courtesy of University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi, USA

Table of Contents

1 OHANCA®/OHANCAW® Communications Campaign

1 Timing is Everything: Start Now

2 Getting Listed in Your Community and Local

Media Outlets’ Event Calendars

2 Thinking Local

2 Building the OHANCAW® Brand

3 Capturing Your Event in Photos

4 Conducting a Successful OHANCAW® Campaign

4 Customizing the Press Release & Fact Sheet

4 Circulating a Bylined Matte Release (“Ten Minutes

that Could Save Your Life”)

4 Targeting the Media

5 Following Up to Encourage Coverage

5 Featuring Local Spokespersons

7 Maximizing Social Media Outreach

7 Facebook Tips

8 Suggested Facebook Social Media Campaign

18 Twitter Tips

19 Suggested Twitter Social Media Campaign

21 2020 Spokesperson Profile: Rob Paulsen

OHANCA®/OHANCAW® Communications campaign

Thank you for being a part of

the 22nd Annual Oral, Head &

Neck Cancer Awareness Week®

(OHANCAW®), April 13-19, 2020.

You have joined a nationwide

initiative aimed at:

• Raising awareness of oral, head and neck cancer

• Educating on the importance of early detection

• Screening as many individuals as possible, especially those at

high risk

• Saving lives!

We are providing this OHANCAW® Media Outreach & Publicity Guide to assist

your center in promoting your educational screening events. Provided below

are tips to enhance your media relations outreach and your overall social

media campaign.

In addition, to get you started, included are links to the customizable press

(news) & matte (feature article) releases, the OHANCAW® poster and flyer, as

well as a 2020 OHANCAW® fact sheet.

Timing is Everything: Start Now

Start your media outreach today. Reporters are often working on stories several

weeks in advance. Because OHANCAW® is quickly approaching, be sure to

contact your media outlets as soon as possible. The potential for a longer

feature story is greater if the reporter has more time to research story angles

and interview your designated spokespersons.

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Getting Listed in Your Community and Local Media Outlets’ Event Calendars

Having your local newspaper or community websites list your OHANCAW® screening

is a good way to get started. Do a bit of research on the community calendar listings

with your local organizational groups and media outlets. Remember that these

calendars could appear only once a week or on a continuous basis, so call early to

make sure your screening is listed in the appropriate week’s calendar or request it to

run consecutive weeks leading up to OHANCAW®.

Thinking Local

To maximize interest among your local feature or health reporters, consider including

local angles relevant to the story, such as:

• Local spokespersons

• A local patient success story

• Regional statistics or discussing any clinical trials on oral, head and neck

cancer being conducted at your facility

• Local area fact sheet

• Remember what may be of interest to a national reporter may not be to

your local reporters.

Building the OHANCAW® Brand

We appreciate your center/facility utilizing the media and promotional materials

provided. With the hundreds of centers/facilities promoting OHANCAW® in the

weeks leading up to and during Awareness Week, it will maximize awareness and

bring wide-scale attention to this life-saving campaign.

2

Capturing Your Event in Photos

It’s a great idea to capture photos of your screening event. Why? They can be used to

thank your partcipants via social media, publicize your future screening events, and

they can help HNCA continue to build excitement and interest in the OHANCAW®

brand. If you plan to take photos during your event, consider the following:

1. Confirm any existing photography policies your institution may have that may

limit or prevent photographs being taken during the event.

2. If taking photos of specific individuals, either posed or candid, please ensure

they sign the HNCA Photo Release form.

3. If you are taking small group shots, either candid or posed, you do not need

to obtain a signed release from every participant, but do ensure they know

how photos may be used by your institution and/or HNCA.

4. Photos of general attendance (e.g., a wide shot of your entire event area) do

not require a signed release.

5. Some ideas for photos include images of an individual being screened, your

event setup, signage, crowds of attendees, your volunteers (especially those

wearing the OHANCAW® volunteer t-shirts provided by HNCA), your

representatives being interviewed by media, etc.

6. At the conclusion of your event, we encourage you to submit your photos,

along with any signed photo releases, to HNCA. Please scan and email the

photo releases, along with photos in .jpeg or .png format, to

dalena@headandneck.org.

3

conducting a successful OHANCAW® campaign

Customizing the Press Release & Fact Sheet

The customizable press release is designed to assist you in announcing

OHANCAW® activities in your community. The press release can be provided

to members of the media or any other interested parties. To customize the

press release, please be sure to insert the screening or event locations, dates,

times, and details about any additional activities, such as seminars, that may be

planned. A quote from your local spokesperson and a brief description about

your center/facility’s role in the community certainly will enhance your news

coverage. The fact sheet on oral, head and neck cancer may be of additional

use to your local media.

Circulating the Bylined Matte Release (“Ten Minutes that Could Save Your Life”)

Unlike a basic press/news release, a matte release is longer, has a byline,

and is more suitable for use as a feature article. Feel free to provide the matte

release when submitting information to local newspapers. Simply add your

name as the author of the article, insert the information about your local

screening, and send to health or feature editors at your local newspaper.

Weekly newspapers, in particular, frequently publish this type of localized and

useful health information for their readers.

Targeting the Media

Once you have personalized your press materials, email, fax, or mail them

to your local newspaper, television, and radio feature or health reporters. To

publicize your screenings throughout the entire community, it is important

to contact as many media outlets as possible, including daily and weekly

newspapers, ethnic and religious publications, radio talk show programs, and

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TV medical producers. Most of these

media outlets now have websites or

an online presence where you can

access contact information for the

respective editors or producers.

Following Up to Encourage Coverage

Contacting reporters after sending

the press materials is key. It’s one of

the most important steps in securing

media coverage. Try to find out what

story topics or angles are of interest

to local reporters. For example, if

the reporter is most interested in

profiling cancer survivors, identify

a compelling patient who could be

available for interviews. Another reporter may be more focused on the newest clinical

findings and be more interested in speaking to a researcher from your institution

instead.

When conducting your media relations outreach, be sure to be responsive to inquiries

from both the media and your spokespeople. It is also important to be accurate with

the information you provide. Earning the trust of those involved will go a long way in

ensuring a successful publicity campaign.

Featuring Local Spokespersons

One of the best ways to localize your story is to profile spokespeople who are

associated with your center. Try to have available at least one oral, head and neck

cancer survivor or current patient who can share a personal story of what it is like

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Photo courtesy of University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi, USA

to be diagnosed, treated, and how your center has helped him/her to manage his/

her care. In addition, it will be beneficial to have a health care professional available

during your outreach to ensure that important screening and treatment messages are

communicated and questions are accurately answered.

Also, consider whether there are any prominent members of the community whom

you could include as spokespeople, such as respected civic leaders or sports figures

who have a relevant personal or family connection to oral, head and neck cancer,

perhaps as patients themselves or as caregivers.

It is always a good idea to provide spokespeople with some training or guidance

as to what to expect when being interviewed by reporters. Patients and health care

professionals typically have little practice in speaking to the media, so advising

them to keep their remarks informative, yet concise, might be helpful. Also, remind

physicians to use layman’s terms, instead of clinical or technical language. Reporters

prefer sound bites and quotes that are understandable to the general public.

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MAximizing social media outreach

Social media is one of the most efficient ways to promote your OHANCAW®

activities. Below are sample social media campaigns for Facebook and Twitter

that you may customize and use to promote your activities.

Facebook

To make the most of your Facebook posts, consider the following:

• Post and promote all relevant event information either in your

post, or within the accompanying graphics (see our customizable social media graphics, which are easily edited through Adobe

Acrobat). Remember to include the date, time, and location of your event. • Encourage feedback from friends/followers about the importance

of early detection and screening.

• Encourage those in your Facebook community to share your

OHANCAW® posts with their own Facebook friends/followers.

• Include the #OHANCAW and #EducateScreenTreat hashtags as

well as tagging the Head and Neck Cancer Alliance’s facebook

page @headandneckcanceralliance whenever possible.

• Use Facebook’s “Schedule” feature to prepare all your posts in

advance and schedule them for automatic posting. To do this,

simply click the drop-down arrow next to the “Publish” button

when writing a post. Choose “Schedule” instead of “Publish,”

and enter the date and time you’d like your post to go live. Hint:

You can also select a date and time for the post to stop appearing

in your followers’ newsfeeds. This is useful if you’re planning

mutiple posts per day, or have time-sensitive posts (for example,

you may wish to have your event-related posts stop appearing in

newsfeeds once the event has concluded).

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Suggested Facebook Social Media Campaign

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Post

<INSTITUTION NAME> is hosting a FREE oral, head and neck screening as part of the 22nd annual Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week, (OHANCAW), April 13-19. Members of our community are invited to receive a free oral, head and neck cancer screening from trained medical professionals on <DATE> at <LOCATION> from <TIMES>.

Oral, head and neck cancer refers to cancers that arise in the oral cavity (mouth), larynx (voicebox), pharynx (throat), sinuses, nasal cavity or salivary glands. Worldwide in 2020, there will be more than 650,000 new cases of oral, head and neck cancer diagnosed and approximately 330,000 deaths from these cancers. In the U.S., there will be 65,000 new cases and 14,600 deaths. Early detection and screenings are proven to save lives.

#OHANCAW is a program of @headandneckcanceralliance. #EducateScreenTreathttp://bit.ly/2EcuDh3 <OR YOUR OWN LINK>

Image

Channel Timing Character Count

Facebook 4 weeks before, on Monday 856

99

Post

Are you ready for the 22nd annual Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week (OHANCAW), April 13-19? Voice actor Rob Paulsen joins @headandneckcanceralliance as its official spokesperson, urging everyone to “toon” in to the importance of early detection and get a FREE screening during OHANCAW®. <INSTITUTION> is offering a screening on <DATE> at <LOCATION> from <TIMES>. Screening is a quick, painless 10 minutes that could save your life.

Image

Channel Timing Character Count

Facebook 4 weeks before, on Thursday 440

10

Post

Have you noticed a red or white spot in your mouth that doesn’t heal or that has increased in size? Or do you have a sore throat or swollen tonsil, changes in your voice, a lump in your neck, or an earache?

<INSTITUTION> is hosting a FREE oral, head and neck screening as part of the 22nd annual Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week, (OHANCAW), April 13-19. Members of our community are invited to receive an oral, head and neck cancer screening from trained medical professionals on <DATE> at <LOCATION> from <TIMES>. Early detection and screenings are proven to save lives.

#OHANCAW is a program of @headandneckcanceralliance. #EducateScreenTreat http://bit.ly/2EcuDh3 <OR YOUR OWN LINK>

Image

(Suggestion: Download and customize this graphic in Adobe Acrobat! Or use one of the generic images instead.)

Channel Timing Character Count

Facebook 3 weeks before, on Monday 707

11

Post

When voice actor and 2020 OHANCAW spokesperson Rob Paulsen found a lump in his neck, he thought it a swollen lymph node due to a viral infection. After several months, when the lump did not go away, he sought the advice of his doctor. Soon, he had a diagnosis of HPV-related throat cancer. Head and neck cancer symptoms can be easy to overlook. That’s why screening is important—early detection saves lives. <INSTITUTION> is offering a free oral, head and neck cancer screening on <DATE> at <LOCATION> from <TIMES>. Screening is a quick, painless 10 minutes, that could save your life. Read Rob's story! http://bit.ly/2J13oKC

Image

(Suggestion: Download and customize this graphic in Adobe Acrobat! Or use one of the generic images instead.)

Channel Timing Character Count

Facebook 3 weeks before, on Thursday 640

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12

Post

Did you know that the incidence of throat cancer is rapidly increasing among young adults? This dramatic increase in cancer of the tonsils and base of the tongue is attributed to infection with human papillomavirus (HPV), a potentially cancer-causing virus that can be transmitted through oral sex. In 2018, HPV-related throat cancer surpassed cervical cancer as the most common HPV-related cancer in the U.S.

<INSTITUTION> is hosting a FREE oral, head and neck screening as part of the @headandneckcanceralliance Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week (OHANCAW), April 13-19. Members of our community are invited to receive an oral, head and neck cancer screening from trained medical professionals on <DATE> at <LOCATION> from <TIMES>. Early detection and screenings are proven to save lives.

#OHANCAW #EducateScreenTreat http://bit.ly/2EcuDh3 <OR YOUR OWN LINK>

Image

(Suggestion: Download and customize this graphic in Adobe Acrobat! Or use one of the generic images instead.)

Channel Timing Character Count

Facebook 2 weeks before, on Monday 907

1613

Post

The face of head and neck cancer is dramatically changing. A disease that used to primarily affect older adults in their 60s and 70s with a history of smoking is now affecting younger adults (30s, 40s, and 50s), just like 2020 OHANCAW spokesperson and voice actor, Rob Paulsen. Human papillomavirus (HPV) is responsible for this shift in the cancer population. In fact, HPV-related throat cancer recently surpassed cervical cancer as the most common HPV-related cancer in the United States. It’s impossible to know whether you have an HPV infection, which is why screening for oral, head and neck cancer is so important. <INSTITUTION> is offering a FREE screening on <DATE> at <LOCATION> from <TIMES>. Screening is a quick, painless 10 minutes, that could save your life.

Image

(Suggestion: Download and customize this graphic in Adobe Acrobat! Or use one of the generic images instead.)

Channel Timing Character Count

Facebook 2 weeks before, on Thursday 785

1614

Post

According to the National Cancer Institute, tobacco and alcohol use are major risk factors for oral, head and neck cancer, particularly those of the tongue, mouth, throat and voice box. People who use both tobacco and alcohol are at greater risk for developing these cancers than people who use either tobacco or alcohol alone.

<INSTITUTION> is hosting a FREE oral, head and neck screening as part of the @headandneckcanceralliance Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week, (OHANCAW), April 13-19. Members of our community are invited to receive an oral, head and neck cancer screening from trained medical professionals on <DATE> at <LOCATION> from <TIMES>. Early detection and screening are proven to save lives.

#OHANCAW #EducateScreenTreat http://bit.ly/2EcuDh3 <OR YOUR OWN LINK>

Image

(Suggestion: Download and customize this graphic in Adobe Acrobat! Or use one of the generic images instead.)

Channel Timing Character Count

Facebook 1 week before, on Monday 770

1615

Post

Did you know alcohol and tobacco (including smokeless tobacco) are major risk factors for oral, head and neck cancer? If you are a drinker or smoker, voice actor and 2020 Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week (OHANCAW) spokesperson, Rob Paulsen, urges you to “toon” in to the importance of early detection and get a FREE screening during OHANCAW®. <INSTITUTION> is offering a screening on <DATE> at <LOCATION> from <TIMES>. Screening is a quick, painless 10 minutes that could save your life.

Image

(Suggestion: Download and customize this graphic in Adobe Acrobat! Or use one of the generic images instead.)

Channel Timing Character Count

Facebook 1 week before, on Thursday 492

1616

Post

It’s Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week! Join us TODAY at <LOCATION> from <TIMES> for a FREE oral, head and neck cancer screening. The early signs of oral, head and neck cancer are easy to overlook. That’s why screening is important—early detection saves lives. Screenings are quick, painless, and take about 10 minutes. Don’t miss the opportunity to do something for yourself that could save your life. #OHANCAW #EducateScreenTreat

Image

(Suggestion: Download and customize this graphic in Adobe Acrobat! Or use one of the generic images instead.)

Channel Timing Character Count

Facebook Day of event, early morning 439

1617

Post

<INSTITUTION> thanks all the staff, volunteers, and participants who joined us for our free Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week screening today. Early detection is proven to save lives. If you missed this screening event, ask your doctor or dentist for an oral, head and neck exam at your next appointment (or sooner if you suspect a problem!).

#OHANCAW is a program of the @headandneckcanceralliance. #EducateScreenTreat http://bit.ly/2EcuDh3 <OR YOUR LINK>

Image

(Suggestion: Use a photo you took at your screening event!)

Channel Timing Character Count

FacebookDay of event, after event has concluded

465

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Twitter

To make the most of your tweets, consider the following:

• Post and promote all relevant event information. Due to its 280 character

limit (includes spaces), it will be easiest to include this information in

your accompanying graphics. (see our customizable social mediagraphics, which are easily edited through Adobe Acrobat). Remember

to include the date, time, and location of your event. • Include the #OHANCAW and #EducateScreenTreat hashtags as

well as tagging the Head and Neck Cancer Alliance’s Twitter pages

@hncalliance and @ohancaw whenever possible.

• As with Facebook, you can prepare all your posts in advance and

schedule them for automatic posting. It is not possible to do this directly

through Twitter. Instead, use TweetDeck.

• Login to your Twitter account from the TweetDeck platform.

• Click on the Tweet button at the top left.

• Enter your tweet text into the white box.

• Click the “Add images or video” button to add your image.

• Click the “Schedule tweet” button to specify the date and

time you’d like the tweet to go out.

• Finish by clicking on the “Tweet at <date/time>” button

beneath the white box where you entered your text.

1619

Channel Timing Character Count Post Image

Twitter4 weeks before, Monday

255

We are hosting a FREE oral, head and neck cancer screening <DATE>. Cancer of the mouth, voicebox, throat, sinuses, nose and salivary glands is the 6th most common cancer by incidence worldwide. #OHANCAW is a program of @hncalliance. #EducateScreenTreat

Twitter4 weeks before, Thursday

270

Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week is April 13-19. Voice actor Rob Paulsen urges you to get screened. We are offering FREE screenings on <DATE>. It’s a quick, painless 10 minutes, that could save your life. Early detection is key to successful treatment. #OHANCAW

Twitter3 weeks before, Monday

277

Do you have a red or white spot in your mouth that doesn’t heal? Or a sore throat, swollen tonsil, or a lump in your neck? Get it checked out! We are offering FREE oral, head and neck screenings as part of Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week #OHANCAW #EducateScreenTreat

Twitter3 weeks before, Thursday

250

When voice actor and #OHANCAW spokesperson Rob Paulsen had a persistent lump in his neck, he knew something was wrong. Read his story, then join us for a free screening on <DATE>. “Toon” in to the importance of early detection! http://bit.ly/2J13oKC

Twitter2 weeks before, Monday

277

HPV-related throat cancer has surpassed cervical cancer as the most common HPV cancer in the US. It’s impossible to know if you’re at risk due to HPV infection, so early detection is your best defense. Join us for a free oral, head and neck cancer screening on <DATE>. #OHANCAW

Suggested Twitter Social Media Campaign

Channel Timing Character Count Post Image

Twitter2 weeks before, Thursday

259

Oral, head and neck cancer is affecting younger adults in record numbers, due to HPV infection. #OHANCAW spokesperson and voice actor Rob Paulsen, urges you to “toon” in to the importance of early detection. Join us for a FREE screening. http://bit.ly/2Vugphm

Twitter1 week before, Monday

242

Tobacco and alcohol use are major risk factors for oral, head and neck cancer. People who use both are at even greater risk. Join us for a FREE oral, head and neck screening on <DATE>. Early detection saves lives. #OHANCAW #EducateScreenTreat

Twitter1 week before, Thursday

247

If you drink or use tobacco (including smokeless), voice actor and 2020 #OHANCAW spokesperson Rob Paulsen urges you to get screened for head and neck cancer. We will offer FREE screenings on <DATE>. Early detection saves lives. #EducateScreenTreat

Twitter

Day of event, early morning

275

Join us TODAY for a FREE oral, head and neck cancer screening. The early signs are easy to overlook. That’s why screening is important—early detection saves lives. Don’t miss the opportunity to do something for yourself that could save your life. #OHANCAW #EducateScreenTreat

Twitter

Day of event, after event has oncluded

228

Thank you to all the staff, volunteers, and participants who joined us for our free oral, head and neck cancer screening today. Early detection through screening is proven to save lives. #OHANCAW #EducateScreenTreat @hncalliance (Suggestion: Use a photo

you took at your event!)

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2020 Spokesperson profile: Rob Paulsen

Rob PaulsenVoice Actor

HPV-attributed Oropharyngeal Cancer Survivor

Maybe you’ve never heard of Rob Paulsen. But you’ve heard him. A lot.

Maybe you don’t know Rob Paulsen, but

you know Pinky and the Brain, Animaniacs,

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Jimmy

Neutron Boy Genius, and most of the other

animated projects that Paulsen has been

part of as a voice actor for nearly three

decades. With over 2,000 (yes, that’s right)

half-hour programs and dozens of films,

video games, and other animated media

to his credit, Paulsen has been one of the

hardest working, most in-demand, and

most beloved voice artists in the industry,

earning (so far) a Daytime Emmy and

Peabody, and three times winning the

Annie Award (for voice actors).

But he’s also just won the biggest fight

of his life—defeating throat cancer after

a grueling year of aggressive treatment. News of Paulsen’s lengthy illness

and forced hiatus might come as a surprise to some, as upon the news of

his diagnosis, Paulsen chose to keep his cancer private except for family and

those closest to him in his professional career. “Everybody’s got their own stuff

to deal with, and this was my turn,” he recalls today, now still recovering but

officially cancer free. “I’ve had a damn good ride up to now, and if the worst

had happened, it was okay, I had a 35 year run, so I didn’t feel the need to say

anything.” That’s not to mitigate the particularly ironic horror of one of the

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industry’s top voice actors getting a disease that attacked his very livelihood: but the

same success that was now in jeopardy is the same thing that afforded him a healthy

perspective.

“It was the people who I met throughout my career who were affected by cancer that

were my inspiration,” he explains. Because of his beloved characters, he’s frequently

met or spoken with hundreds of infirm children who had their wishes come true

via a conversation with Pinky or Donatello. “Their parents keep in touch with me

when those kids pass away,” Paulsen says, “saying ‘we can’t tell you how much your

shows mean to our kids.’ That opportunity, to bring that into their lives, that gave

me the example to deal with my own pretty intense circumstances. I had these great

teachers.”

Still recovering but officially cancer-free, and with a renewed passion for his craft,

Paulsen is finding some new challenges and some old familiar faces there to guide

him into the next phase of his career. In addition to continuing his popular podcast

Talkin’ Toons and having just set new dates for Animaniacs In Concert!, the other

franchise with which Paulsen has been associated for two generations, Teenage

Mutant Ninja Turtles, has returned with Paulsen for the first time assuming the role of

director, getting to work on the other side of the glass. And he’s completed a memoir

about his life and career titled Voice Lessons, released by Start Publishing on October

8, 2019.

Paulsen’s cancer battle has given his career even more meaning. “There are millions

of people who have beaten cancer, but because of what I do for a living, it has a

little more weight. It all circles back to the deep attachment people have to these

characters I’ve been lucky enough to play. I can not only continue to make a living,

but make a difference, and I can’t wait to use that on the biggest scale that I can.”

Learn more about Rob at http://robpaulsenlive.com/ or follow him on Twitter https://

twitter.com/yakkopinky.

22

PO Box 21688Charleston, SC 29413

1-866-792-HNCA (4622) info@headandneck.orgwww.headandneck.org